


Rising Sun

by btbarton17



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Bakery, F/M, Future Fic, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 14:51:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15687630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/btbarton17/pseuds/btbarton17
Summary: 10 years after ROTG, a new guardian has been chosen! But in a time of peace, the current guardians are wondering why a new guardian and why is it her?!?





	1. Chapter 1

*THUD**CRASH**BANG*

Sounds of chaos escape the enormous workshop and can be heard from across the great expanse of the snow fallen landscape. A thundering voice rises above all the clatter; “WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON IN HERE?!” a booming voice of Russian descent demands above all the commotion. Suddenly all is quiet as the Guardian of Christmas examines the damage to the workshop. Yetis and elves stop all their rushing about trying to get everything prepared for Christmas, which is two weeks away. In all the urgency, they seemed to have destroyed more than they created. Now, they look to the towering figure above. He is intimidating to say the least. Two large swords hang from a pair of solid, oversized black pants that have a red cotton shirt tucked in with the sleeves rolled up, each arm covered in tattoos with the words Naughty and Nice written across. A long white beard with grey streaks through out hangs from his face and two big dark bushy eyebrows hover over deep blue eyes that were more stern than jolly at the moment. He presses his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, everyone take five. Yetis, get this mess cleaned up. Elves,” he sighs, “just try not to get in their way.”

He turns around prepared to return to his office to review the naughty and nice lists for the third time today, but hesitates when something catches his attention. A single ray of moonlight shines upon the intricate design of the guardians on the floor. This could only mean one thing. “Time to assemble the guardians,” thought North, “Manny seems to have an announcement.”

~~~

“Well Jack, you’ve done it again,” the winter spirit boasts as he plops himself down on the tallest branch of a nearby tree. He had spent all night covering the northern United States with a fresh blanket of crisp white snow and now he was exhausted. He sat for a while admiring all his work. He liked to come up the mountains when he was done and see the great expanse of white below him. His eyelids started to droop as he laid back against the trunk of the tree and slowly, he starts to drift off to sleep. Visions of thick snowflakes fill his mind. He smiles in his sleep. All of a sudden a bright light swirls with the snow, at first the light is blinding, but after a while, it’s more of a comforting golden glow that fills Jack with warmth he hasn’t felt before. He wakes up dazed and confused wondering what it could mean when he realizes the Northern Lights are filling the sky with brilliant greens and purples. “Whoops,” Jack mutters, “I hope those haven’t been going on for too long.” He stretches and slowly gets up and then lets the wind carry him to the North Pole.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh look, someone finally decided to grace us with his presence!”

Jack flew into the room and was sarcastically greeted by a giant Australian Bunny.

“Calm down, Kangaroo. I’m here aren’t I?” Jack said laughing. Jack and Bunnymund were like brothers, and what’s more fun than getting under your brother’s skin?

“Jack, you are late but right now that is not important,” North said interrupting, “Manny has something important to tell us. Come, everyone else is already waiting.” Jack, North, and Bunnymund enter the main room where Tooth and Sandy are already waiting for the final Guardian’s arrival. Tooth was busy telling her fairies where teeth needed to be collected, while Sandy was softly snoring in the corner of the room. “Alright well let’s not keep Manny waiting any longer,” North said getting the attention of all the guardians and finally, to the Moon, “What is it you want to tell us?” Suddenly, a large crystal arose out from the center of the mural of the Guardians on the ground.

“A new Guardian?” stammered North with a puzzled look on his face.

“WHAT? But why?” choked out Bunny. “I mean, crikey, we just got a new Guardian 10 years ago and there isn’t any danger around! We defeated Pitch! Pretty soon we are going to have enough Guardians to start a bloody rugby team!”

“Now Bunny, I’m sure Manny has good reason to add a new Guardian,” North reasoned with the rabbit, although he wasn’t fully confident in the words coming out of his mouth. Sandy’s sand made an image of the Boogeyman as he looked at his fellow Guardians. “No, I don’t think Pitch is back,” Tooth reassured the Sandman. “We would have surely noticed something.”

Meanwhile, Jack just stood there staring at the crystal while the other Guardians’ arguments faded into the background.

_“A new Guardian? What is coming that the five of us can’t protect the children from?”_ Jack was deep in thought. He had no doubts in the Man in the Moon, but he couldn’t see why another Guardian was necessary. As much as he hated to agree with Bunny, a sixth Guardian would start to make this place a little crowded. Plus, he liked all the attention he got being the youngest Guardian. _“Maybe one of us is getting replaced?”_ Jack thought. He laughed as he imagined Bunny getting fired from Easter. _“No, a replacement doesn’t make sense.”_ Jack continued to ponder until he was pulled out of his trance.

“Jack, pay attention!” North boomed trying to get the spirit’s attention. Quickly, Jack came back into focus just as the Moon was about to reveal the newest Guardian.

“Please not the bloody Pumpkin,” Bunnymund pleaded as the image of the new Guardian began to take shape.

The crystal finally revealed what looked to be a young woman with (h/l)(h/c) hair and an hourglass. Suddenly, the hourglass flipped over and the young woman transformed into a beautiful angel.

“Who is that?” Jack puzzled.

“I…I don’t know!” North exclaimed.

“How are we supposed to go get her, if we don’t even know who the sheila is?” Bunny groaned. “And what does the hourglass mean?”

“Maybe it means she hasn’t been transformed into her final form yet!” Tooth exclaimed cheerfully.

All the boys turned to look at their female Guardian.

“Meaning she is still human? And why are you so happy about this?” snapped Bunny.

“Because there is finally going to be another girl! It won’t be just me against all of you!” Tooth started flying around excitedly.

“We don’t even know who this sheila is or where she is, Tooth,” Bunny sighed. “Besides, why would Manny pick someone who was still human?” The four guardians looked to their leader, North.

“Until we know why Manny has chosen this girl, we need to figure out who she is,” North declared walking towards the crystal. He bent over and tried to look at the girl closer to see if he was missing some crucial detail. Finally, he found something etched in at the base of the crystal.

“AHA!” North shouted. “Manny has left us coordinates of her location!” All the guardians looked at where North was examining and sure enough there were latitude and longitude coordinates etched into the crystal.

“Isn’t that in Chicago?” Bunnymund asked North.

“Yes it is Bunny. Now we need someone to go and keep an eye out for this girl and report back to say when we should approach her.” North said as he turned to face his other Guardians. “And Jack I think you should be the one to it.”

“WHAT? Hey, just because I don’t have a major holiday I’m in charge of, doesn’t mean that I get put on babysitting duty!” Jack protested.

“Frostbite, you are the only one who can do it, mate.” Bunny interrupted. “North has Christmas in two weeks, Tooth has teeth she has to attend to all day every day, Sandy will just fall asleep, and if someone sees a giant Bunny following some girl around, well that probably wouldn’t end well.”

“How am I even supposed to find this girl? I can’t just go up to every woman I see to see if they can see me or not.” Jack argued, doubting this whole operation altogether.

“Well first you need to find a girl with (h/l)(h/c) hair, which actually might be hard because this is a big city.” North remarked trying to offer a solution.

“She must be excellent with kids, and have some sort of belief in Manny or us.” Tooth chimed in. “It will probably take some time, so just be patient Jack and ask Manny for help.”

“I can’t believe this, you know I have a winter to deliver!” Jack tried to give a final argument but he knew it was too late; he was the only one who could do this job.

“Oh Jack, you can do both! Just think of it as a game! You love those!” North said cheerfully. “Now we all have work to do, Jack, we expect a full report whenever you find something out. I will call the rest of you if Manny decides to tell us anything further.” And with that all of the Guardians went back to their respective homes, except for North and Jack.

“Listen Jack, none of us understand what is going on right now, but we have to trust that Manny knows what is best. “ North said placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders and peering into his bright blue eyes. “We have to respect Manny’s decision. Report back when you are 100% sure you have found the girl. And cheer up,” North smiled, “pretend it’s a giant game of Where’s Waldo!”

Jack sighed heavily and floated out of North’s workshop. Once he was outside, he felt the wind start to swirl around him as the sun was rising from east. “Wind,” he exclaimed half-heartedly, “take me to Chicago!”


	3. Chapter 3

“This is hopeless. I’m never going to find her.”  
It was day three of the winter spirit’s search for this mystery girl. He had trailed after every (h/l)(h/c) haired girl he saw but he had this gut instinct that none of these girls were the right one. “Maybe we got the longitude and latitude coordinates mixed up…” Jack began to wonder. It was now early morning and Jack could see that the sun would be up within the hour. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a full night’s worth of sleep. “Well, I guess I can go check the subway station again…” He started to turn to fly off in the opposite direction before a velvety voice interrupted his thoughts.  
“Jack…”  
“Uhm… hello?” Jack answered the voice out loud. Again he heard the voice in his head.  
“Jack, turn around.”  
“Moon? Is that you?” Jack asked staring at the giant white saucer shining in the night sky. Seeming to confirm Jack’s suspicions, the Moon spoke again before fading out.  
“Turn around…”  
With that, Jack turned around catching a glimpse of a (h/c) braid running around the corner.  
~~~  
*HUFF HUFF HUFF*  
Your breathing was keeping steady in rhythm with your every step and the beats coming out of your ear buds. Your morning run was your favorite part of the day. Exploring the city before everyone else was even awake; no one out but you and the Moon. You liked to pretend you were racing the Moon at times, making the run less of exercise and more of a game. The crisp morning air was a breath of fresh air to your skin. No matter what the weather was, you ran in the same outfit: A pair of running shorts, your favorite running shoes, a sports bra and a braid. That’s it. Sometimes you would start off with a light jacket, but by the middle of the run you had stripped it off, freeing your skin. You never got cold, unless you stopped moving. Your younger siblings thought you were crazy, but there was something about not having anything weighing you down that felt so freeing and alive.  
You liked having this morning time to yourself. Being alone in your thoughts for those 45 minutes every morning did wonders for your sanity. All of life’s problems and troubles seemed to disappear while you were running; almost like you were running away from them all.  
You were pushing your limit today. Trying to break your usual time for your 5-mile loop, you gritted your teeth and forced your legs to move even faster and push harder off the ground. You round the final corner and see the skyscraper that housed your apartment. Using all your might, you practically flew down the street before collapsing onto the grass. You smile as the cold snow wicks away all the sweat from your bare back. “Now that was a great run,” you pant, trying to regain your breath. You gaze up into the Moon. “See you tomorrow, Manny.”  
You took the elevator to your 4-bedroom apartment on the 25th floor. You lived there with your 4 younger siblings. You quietly crept down the hall careful not to wake anyone. You finally get to your room, where you strip down and hop into a hot shower.  
~~  
“Crap, I lost her!” Jack had been trailing behind the mystery girl for her whole run. Her general disregard for the freezing temperature amused him. He had followed her all the way to her building when he heard her call the Moon ‘Manny’. Jack had only heard North use that name for the Man in the Moon. Jack became so distracted by this that he hadn’t seen what floor she was going to.  
“Shit, North is going to kill me if I don’t find her again.” Jack began peeking into every window starting at the bottom floor. He saw many people that had accidentally fallen asleep while watching TV, and some that had fallen off their bed in the middle of the night. He chuckled at how strange humans were sometimes. Suddenly, he saw a light flick on a couple floors above him. He flew up just in time to see the backside of the girl slip out of her clothes and into the bathroom. Jack’s face blushed into the brightest shade of crimson, as he quickly looked away.  
“What are you looking at?” he snapped at the Moon, feeling as though the Moon was chuckling at the embarrassed boy.  
Jack hadn’t seen a woman like that in, well, he actually couldn’t remember the last time he saw something like that. He blushed again when he caught himself admiring the memory. “Let’s just hope Bunny never finds out,” Jack muttered as he perched on the nearby balcony, waiting for the girl to reemerge.  
~~  
You wrapped yourself in a fluffy white towel and reemerged into your bedroom, leaving the steamy bathroom behind. You sat down at your vanity and let the towel that was wrapped around your head fall to the floor. The smell of your shampoo fills your nose as you carefully comb all the tangles out of your wet hair. You put leave-in conditioner into your hair and pull it into a loose ponytail. You casually walk to your dresser, dropping your towel along the way. You throw on your (f/c) undies and matching bra, dark blue jeggings, a dark v-neck, and a grey sweater on along with your favorite Keds. You look back in the mirror. You’ve never liked having a bunch of makeup on your face, only saving it for special occasions. You carefully smooth on your mascara and basic pink lipstick. You stop to find that you are admiring yourself in the mirror. “When did I get this womanly figure?” you start to think tracing your subtly defined abdomen through your t-shirt.  It seems like just yesterday you were just a twerpy little girl. Instead of a little girl staring into the mirror, it was a strong, curvy, and, as much as you hate to admit it, beautiful woman.  Your thoughts are interrupted when you faintly hear an alarm clock going off from down the hall. You glance at the clock. It reads 6:45 AM. “Shit! I haven’t even started breakfast yet!” you panic as you rush down the hall and into the kitchen.  
~~  
You get breakfast on the table just in time as 4 tired faces drag themselves into the kitchen. You set a big stack of pancakes on the table in front of your siblings.

“Eat up, guys. You don’t want to be hungry on your last day of school before winter break, do you?” You state as you start pouring everyone glasses of milk. “And hurry up, or else you’ll hit traffic on your way to school.”

You sat down at the table with your breakfast next to your 18- year old brother, Brandon. He was a senior this year and an all star basketball player. You were saddened every time you thought about how next year he would leave to go to college on a full basketball scholarship. He was such a big help with the younger ones. Sitting next to him was Garrett, your 14-year-old brother, seemingly mimicking everything Brandon was doing. He absolutely adored his older brother and tried to be just like him in every way. Across the table was your brother Anthony and sister Madison. Even though they were a whole year apart, they looked like twins. Madison had just turned 10 two weeks ago, while Anthony was just a year older. They were currently bickering over who had put more syrup on their pancakes. They liked to get on each other’s nerves a lot, but they were inseparable to the point that they demanded to share a bedroom.  You all had the same (h/c) hair, Madison’s being the lightest shade and Garrett’s being the darkest, and the same (e/c) eyes. 

“Alright everyone knows the plan for today?” You question the rest of the group.

“I will drive everyone to school. After school, I will stay after for basketball practice while the other three walk to the bakery, just like everyday.” Brandon answers with a forkful of pancake in his mouth.

“Right, and Garrett you are in charge of those two on the way back. No pit stops. Come straight to the bakery.” You finish, picking up everyone’s plates from the table.

“Now get going, or you are going to be late. Does everyone have their house key? And everyone has to put a coat on. Including you, Garrett.” Garrett stuck his tongue out at you knowing full well he was trying to sneak out without his coat.

“Have a good day, love you,” you yell as the door closes behind them. 

You glance down at your watch. _“Well, I’d better get going too. The bakery opens in an hour.”_ You think as you grab your keys and start your walk to the store.

As soon as you graduated high school four years ago, you had opened up a bakery downtown to help cover the expense of raising your siblings that your parent’s life insurance hadn’t covered. You loved your bakery. You got to do your favorite thing every day and it was conveniently located between home and the school so you could always walk home with your siblings. Being your own boss was awesome too, no one could yell at you if you decided to eat all the cookie dough instead of making the actual cookies. 

You unlock the front door of the bakery and slip inside. You grab your apron from the coat rack, turn on the ovens, and go over the orders for the day.  
~~  
Jack was trying to keep his distance from the family, not knowing if any of them could see him or not. He watched as the four younger siblings got into the car and pulled out of the parking garage and into the direction of the school. The guardian in him wanted to follow the car and have some fun with the younger ones, but he unfortunately had a job to do. He followed the girl and peered through the window of the bakery. He saw her mixing something in a large bowl, humming a tune to herself.  “What’s a quick snowball fight at recess gonna hurt?” He smirked. “She’ll still be here when I get back.” And with that he had convinced himself, and flew off to the school. 

He spent the whole morning coating the school grounds with the fluffiest white flakes he could muster up. Suddenly, the bell rung and a whole herd of students rushed out the doors and onto the playground. Jack scanned the kids until he saw a (h/c) boy and girl racing each other out the doors. 

“I won!” exclaimed Anthony, jumping up and down with his arms raised.

“That’s no fair, you had a head start!” Madison snipped before tackling him into the ground. The two were rolling around on the ground laughing when Jack decided to make his move. Out of seemingly nowhere, a snowball came and hit Anthony square in the back of his head just as he was standing up. “Alright who threw that, it’s on!” Anthony squealed, not noticing Jack sitting up in the tree above him.  Suddenly a huge snowball fight commenced, consuming the whole schoolyard. The fight lasted for nearly the whole recess when suddenly Jack heard Madison give a frightened squeal below. He leaned forward to see what was the matter, when Anthony came running over to his sister.

“Maddie, what’s wrong?” Anthony asked anxiously.

“Look!” Madison exclaimed, without a trace of worry in her voice. In her small mittened hands was a shiny white tooth. She smiled and Anthony saw the gap that was now apparent. “I lost a tooth! That means the tooth fairy will come tonight!” She jumped up and down excitedly. 

“Awesome! You’ll have to give it to _______ when we get to the bakery. She’ll know what to do with it.” Anthony said returning a smile.

The bell rang again signaling the end of recess. Jack watched as all the kids slowly made their way back into the school. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing Baby Tooth tonight then.” Jack thought, grateful for the unexpected company he would be receiving.  
~~  
“_________! ________!” Madison came in shouting as she ran into the store. “I lost a tooth today!” 

“That’s wonderful, Madison! Here, put it in this bag so we don’t lose it, and tonight we’ll put it under your pillow.” You said, handing her a little bag.

“Now, I’m almost done here. If you guys want to sweep the floor really quick and wipe down the countertops, I’ll go to the back and grab my stuff.”

As your siblings hurriedly get to work, as to sooner start their Christmas break, you slip into the back office grabbing assorted important papers and your sweater. You hang your apron back up before making your way to the cash register. Making sure none of your siblings were in sight, you quickly grab a quarter from the cash register and slip it into your pocket.

“Everything looks good guys, thank you. Let me lock up and we can head home.” You say ushering everyone out the door.  
You leisurely walk home while the younger three race on ahead.  
~~  
“Do you think I’ll get to see the Tooth Fairy tonight?” your sister asks as she gently places her tooth beneath her pillow. You are tucking the youngest two into bed.

“I don’t know, Madison. Maybe. She won’t come if you are awake though.” You say pulling the blankets over her. 

“What does she look like, __________?” Your sister asks excitedly. 

“I don’t know, Madison. I lost my teeth a long, long time ago. How about if you see her tonight, you can tell me all about it?” You say trying to coax your sister into going to sleep. 

“She’s my favorite guardian, _________.” Your sister sighs, her yawn giving her exhaustion away.

“I know she is.” You coo, kissing her on the forehead before turning to turn off the lights. “Good night, you two.” And with that, you slip out of the room.

You sit in the living room and zone out to some television. You are pulled out of your trance when Brandon enters the room to say he’s turning in for the night. You wish him good night and make your way to the kitchen. You pull out a pad of paper from the drawer and write a note. You make your way down the hall and slip into Madison and Anthony’s room. You quietly slip your hand under Madison’s pillow and exchange the tooth for the quarter that was in your pocket. You slip back out of the room and tape the tooth to the note. You go to the door that leads to the balcony and tape the note to it. You then go back to your room, to turn in for bed.  
~~  
“WHAT IS SHE DOING?” Jack yelled wide-eyed as he witnessed you exchange the quarter for the tooth through the window. He flew over to another window, getting a glimpse of you taping the tooth onto the note. He flew out of sight as you approached the balcony. Once he was sure you were gone, he rushed down to the note and read it out loud. 

_“Dear Tooth Fairy,_  
_Here is Madison’s tooth that she lost today. I have already put a quarter under her pillow so you don’t need to worry about that. I know the teeth are important to you so here you go. Please move on to the other kids that need you in the world._  
_Thanks,_  
___________”

“What does this mean?” Jack asked. Still confused, he took off in the direction of the North Pole with the note in hand. “What will the others think of this?” Jack pondered as he disappeared into the night sky.


	4. Chapter 4

“Jack! You are back! Good news, I hope?” North shouted from across the workshop as Jack came flying in through the window.  
“Well, I have news…not sure if it’s good or not though,” Jack mumbled under his breath.   
“Nonsense! Come, come. The others are in the other room “helping” with Christmas,” North wrapped his arm around the young man, while implying that the other guardians had been anything but helpful. They entered North’s office where the other three guardians were busy arguing about something.  
“Knock it off! Jack has come back with news!” North boomed upon entering the room. All eyes were on Jack, the meaningless quarrel long forgotten.  
“Well, I found her. But…. we may have a problem,” Jack sighed.  
“Aye, what’s the problem Frosty?” Bunny scoffed. “I’m sure it’s nothing us experienced guardians can’t handle.”  
Jack glared at the oversized rabbit and simply held up the note with the tooth still attached.  
“Shostakovich!” North exclaimed grabbing the note out of Jack’s grasp and showing it to the others.  
“Crikey, it’s her,” Bunnymund said through gritted teeth. “But why would the Man in the Moon pick her of all people?”  
“Wait, you guys know who this is?” Jack stammered in surprise.  
“Ah yes, we know who she is. Believe it or not, this is not the first time she has done this.” North sighed motioning Jack over to a screen he hadn’t noticed before on the wall. “Tooth, pull it up.”   
Tooth quickly typed something into a keyboard sitting on North’s desk and a profile and picture of the same woman Jack had been following pulled up.  
Name: _______ _______  
Age: 22  
Location: Chicago, IL  
Believes: Yes  
Naughty or Nice: Nice for 22 years  
 **See File for More Details**  
North handed Jack a thick folder, filled with notes similar to the one he had found on the door all addressed to a guardian.   
“She has been doing our job for the last decade, mate. She’s left presents under the tree, hid painted eggs, and swapped out teeth for quarters,” Bunny spoke whilst gazing out the window. “The only job she hasn’t done is Sandy’s, which if it was possible, I have no doubt that sheila would steal his job too.”  
“But why? I mean she obviously believes so why would she…” Jack rambled not understanding why someone would go through all this effort.  
“We don’t know, Jack,” Tooth interrupted cradling the precious tooth found on the note. “We have tried to think of every possible reason but it just doesn’t make sense to us either.”  
“It doesn’t matter why. Manny chose her and that is final. So Jack, when should we go get her?” North asked, ready to finally solve the mystery that had been at the back of his mind for the past decade.   
“The only time she is really ever alone is during her early morning runs, and when she is at the bakery,” Jack replied. “Other than that, she is always with her 4 younger siblings.”  
“We will go to the bakery Monday then,” North confirmed staring out the window. “That should give us some time to think about how we are going to approach this.”  
~~  
“Alright guys, if you get hungry there’s food in the fridge,” you called as you headed out the door. “Enjoy your first day of winter break and be good for Brandon. Love you!”  
You locked the door behind you as you headed towards the elevator to open up the bakery for the morning. You only had one order placed over the weekend, so you knew it was going to be a slow day. Not many people want to brave the cold just for a cupcake. You decided to drive to work today, since Brandon didn’t need the car for anything and cranked up your favorite radio station as you made your way to work.  
You fired up the ovens upon entering the bakery, grateful for the source of heat on this particularly cold day. After warming your fingers up, you abruptly threw on your apron and got to work on your one order of carrot cake cupcakes.   
You were putting the last of the batter into the pan when you heard the bell on the door ring. “I’ll be with you in just a minute!” You happily chimed from the back as you set the pan in the oven. You were dusting off your hands on your apron, not paying much attention when you walked out front. “Hi welcome to Cup and Cakes, how may I…” you trailed off as you realized who exactly had just walked into your store. Standing before you was none other than the 5 Guardians of Childhood, making your little shop feel a bit crowded. Your throat dried up, as you were quite admittedly a bit star struck. You had about a hundred questions going through your mind, though no words were coming out of your mouth.   
“Hello ______, I am North, this is Bunny, Sandy, Tooth and Jack.” North introduced himself with an outstretched hand.   
“Yea, no, I know who you guys are… what are you doing in my shop?” You squeaked out in surprise.   
“We have much business to discuss my dear ______!” North exclaimed, his voice echoing off the walls.   
“Yea, for example, why the bloody hell do you keep doing our jobs mate?!” Bunny blurted unable to hold back his frustration.   
“Bunny!” Tooth gasped at his outburst.  
Jack noticed how your expression had quickly changed from one of a pleasant surprise to a hard-set expression of anger. His eyes darted to your delicate flour covered hands as they started to form fists by your sides.   
_“How dare they?”_ You seethed, mulling over the situation in your mind. Here you had assumed you were finally getting an apology after all these years, but to demand an explanation and apology out of you instead? _“Go fuck yourselves.”_  
“Get out.” You muttered very lowly under your breath.   
“What was that?” Bunny challenged.  
“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY STORE!” you shouted, a fire blazing behind your eyes. All the Guardians stood in shock. Nobody had ever yelled at them before and they weren’t quite sure what to do. You noticed Sandy looked like he was about to cry.  
“Oh no, shush shush shush,” you hushed as you bent down to console Sandy. You weren’t mad at him; it was the main three you had a problem with. You reached behind the counter and handed the little golden man a vanilla cupcake with snowflake sprinkles as a request for forgiveness. Sandy’s tears were soon replaced with visions of cupcakes swirling around his head as he happily accepted the cupcake. You stood back up with a new resolve, the anger gone out of your eyes but the resentment still there. You walked past the Guardians to the front door as you held it open. “Now if you don’t mind.” you ushered your hand towards the now open door, the glare on your face not wavering. The Guardians wordlessly looked to each other and then made their way to the door. North, Bunny, Tooth and Jack had all made it outside before you stopped Sandy and whispered so only he could hear. “I’m sorry Sandy. It’s not your fault. Honestly, it’s not Jack’s either. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Sandy looked at you for a moment, trying to gauge your sincerity. Finally, he smiled and patted your hand signaling a thumbs up above his head, letting you know that you two were good. The other Guardians jaws had dropped at how you could be so angry with them, but completely compassionate towards Sandy. You quickly shut the door as Sandy made his way out and dropped to the floor with your head on your knees. That was mentally and emotionally exhausting. Sighing, you got back up and headed towards the kitchen, realizing you had just burnt the cupcakes.   
~~  
“Sandy what did she say to you?” Tooth asked as soon as the door was shut.  
Sandy formed the word ‘sorry’ above his head as he happily munched on his cupcake.   
“I can’t believe the sheila gave you a cupcake. She didn’t even ask the rest of us if we wanted one!” Bunny complained. “I’m pretty certain I smelled carrot cake too!”  
“Well after you pissed her off, no wonder she didn’t want to give you a freaking cupcake!” Jack shouted, unsure of why he was defending her.   
North clapped his hands together gaining the attention of the others. “On to Plan B!”  
“There’s a Plan B?” Tooth asked, tilting her head to the side.  
“Of course! There is always Plan B!” North happily replied. “Jack, you are going to talk to her one-on-one.”  
“Why is it always me?” Jack sulked, crossing his arms over his chest.  
“Because the only people she seems to like are you and Sandy. And well no offense Sandy, but you aren’t much for talking,” Bunny answered catching on to what North’s plan was.   
“How do you know she likes me?” Jack questioned. As far as he saw, they all just got yelled at by ______.  
“I feel it… in my belly!” North exclaimed. Jack sighed; he knew there was no arguing with North about his feelings he gets in his belly.   
“Alright fine, I’ll try to talk to her tomorrow. But I doubt I’m going to do any better than what we just did.” Jack called to the others as they made their way back to North’s sleigh. Jack sighed as he perched upon the roof of the bakery. _“But first, I gotta figure out what her issue with North, Bunny and Tooth is.”_


End file.
